Kathleen Madigan’s plainspoken comedy cuts through the noise

For a comedian with dozens of TV and radio show spots, national tours and industry honors under her belt, Kathleen Madigan has remained surprisingly candid about her motivations.

Of course that’s part of 48-year-old Missouri native’s charm: unlike some of her peers, who put their stand-up on hold for acting careers, or whose material grows fussier and more self-satisfied over time, Madigan is an old-school touring performer with an unpretentious take on her craft.

“I do it for the sake of doing it,” Madigan said over the phone from Los Angeles this week. “I don’t write a joke for any other reason than to see if I can convey a funny thought in a way that you get why it’s funny. It’s like hitting a golf ball correctly: I just want to see if I can do it again.”

We caught up with Madigan in advance of her shows at Durango’s Community Concert Hall at Ft. Lewis on April 3, the Paramount Theatre on April 4 (which is sold out) and Fort Collins’ Lincoln Center on April 5.

Q: Like Jim Gaffigan, Brian Regan and some other comics you play Colorado pretty consistently and always do really well here. Do you have any idea why that is?

A: One reason might be that I was in the regular rotation at Comedy Works for years, and you end up building a presence within the city. Denver’s one of those cities I visit once or twice a year and have been doing so for 20 years, almost since I started. And Colorado people really take to comedy. You’re one of the good ones.